3/26/14

New Look 6697

New Look 6697 is an oldie but goodie dress pattern, which I first made back in 2008 and since that time have made several more.

The pattern is a pull-over knit mock wrap dress with various options.

A woman can never have too many dresses and couldn't resist working up this taupe brushed knit fabric from Sav-a-thon Fabrics. My latest version differs a little from my previous ones in that I went a lil longer with the skirt hem. At 5'3", I must tread carefully with the midi length I can easily topple at the frumpy level. However to thwart that I made sure to wear a higher heel. This dress was paired with a Loft polka-dot burgundy blazer and 9West suede laser cut peep-toe.

For this knit in a pseudo chevron print, I again went with a longer skirt hem. I really love wearing this dress, which I have worn twice since making it a month ago. The horizontal print is funky fun and can be toned down with a blazer (Chadwick). Again, I made sure to wear high heels and since the dress is full of funky fun colors, made sure my heels were neutral.

Particulars: This dress is an easy sew,
but then again I have made it a half-dozen times, so I guess it would
be....lol. The instructions are clear and concise, However, after making it
several times, my construction has changed over the years. The pattern calls for assembling the bodice
first, then proceeding on with constructing the skirt. Thereafter pinning completed bodice to skirt. However, I prefer to attach the front bodice
to the front skirt and repeat same for the back and finishing with the side seams. It just makes my life easier. Another change from the instructions is it calls for an elastic waistband, instead, I used 3/4" flexi lace hem tape or hem tape to create a casing

... insert 1/2" elastic at the back only, try-on and adjust gathering, and

sew down elastic & casing ends at side seams.

The brushed knit dress is unlined and wore a full slip, however for the pseudo chevron dress, I opted to line it.

The instructions also calls for using facing... my take on it is... humbug... I hate facings for my knit dresses. If its not being lined I serge 1/4" clear elastic along the neckline and then fold to the inside and final stitch. I didn't go with the pleated short sleeve and instead traced off the long sleeve for Version A and shortened.

More construction pics...

This is a simple faux wrap dress that works well for my work wardrobe. If one is looking for a simple dress and want to showcase fabulous fabric... try NL 6697. Also, if you are looking for more info on how to wear a midi dress, check out this link: How to Wear a Midi Dress.